Following biohacker Bryan Johnson’s social media admission that his girlfriend’s vagina is absolutely elite, many are curious about what makes someone’s privates top-tier and how to revamp theirs accordingly.
“100/100 score. Top 1% of all vaginas,” Johnson, 48, bragged alongside a graph of his 30-year-old girlfriend Kate Tolo’s results from Tiny Health’s vaginal health test.
Tiny Health‘s $249 at-home swab test, which can be taken in less than five minutes, measures biomarkers, detects bacteria linked to bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections and tracks beneficial Lactobacillus alongside disruptive microbes tied to vaginal health and fertility.
“We built this as a wellness tool with a goal of helping women know their vaginal microbiome the way they know their cholesterol level or their blood pressure,” Cheryl Sew Hoy, CEO of Tiny Health, told The Post.
Sew Hoy maintains that the vaginal microbiome is a critical and chronically overlooked component of women’s health and is directly linked to fertility, pregnancy outcomes, infection risk and long-term gynecological health.
Results, which are available within three to four weeks, include a personalized report and a summary score ranging from 0 to 100.
A score close to 100 indicates the microbiome is in excellent shape, with strong protective bacteria and no concerning pathogens.
Tiny Health, which began with a focus on gut health, notes that there is a stark difference between a healthy gut microbiome and a healthy vaginal microbiome.
“In the gut, diversity is a sign of health. In the vagina, low diversity and dominance of a single type of protective bacteria, Lactobacillus, is what we want to see,” Dr. Kimberley Sukhum, chief science officer at Tiny Health, told The Post.
Sukhum shared that Lactobacillus produces lactic acid, which helps maintain an acidic vaginal environment inhospitable to harmful pathogens.
Sukhum emphasized that a top percentile score like Tolo’s is a reference point, not a trophy.
“The majority of women we test have at least one area for improvement, which is actually encouraging: it means there is something actionable to work on,” she said.
For women who fall short of a top-tier undercarriage, Sukhum says fear not.
“A lower score is not a failure; it’s information, and it’s actionable, there’s a genuine opportunity to improve,” she explained.
In terms of action, Sukhum recommends avoiding anything that will further disrupt the vaginal ecosystem.
“Douching, scented products and harsh soaps could strip away protective Lactobacillus and raise pH, creating an opening for disruptive bacteria to take hold,” she added.
Additional measures include taking Lactobacillus probiotics, following a diet rich in prebiotics and fermented foods, wearing breathable cotton underwear and avoiding smoking.
Sukhum recommends the test for all women, even and especially those without current symptoms.
“A disrupted vaginal microbiome is associated with increased risk of other conditions like bacterial vaginosis and potential elevated risk of preterm birth and fertility challenges, often without producing a single noticeable symptom,” she said.
She notes that conventional testing is reactive — you develop symptoms, you go to a provider, you get treated.
Tiny Health aims to invert that model, providing a clear picture of microbiome health and a proactive baseline.
Tiny Health recommends initial testing to establish said baseline and retesting at meaningful intervals or after significant changes.
Sukhum shared that testing is most valuable before and during pregnancy; postpartum, especially before trying to conceive again; after a course of antibiotics or BV treatment and during the perimenopause transition, when estrogen-driven changes begin to alter the vaginal environment.
Further, Sukhum said women who suffer from recurring infections can benefit from serial testing, as it reveals patterns that a single snapshot cannot capture.
Sew Hoy says her own experience illustrates why a baseline test followed by meaningful retesting can help women better understand the evolution of their microbiome.
“My Vaginal Microbiome Summary Score was 100 before my son was born,” said Sew Hoy. “Nine months postpartum, it had dropped to 24.”
She shared that her vaginal microbiome was disrupted after each of her two births, noting that it did not fully recover until she had finished breastfeeding her oldest son at 2 and 1/2. Now breastfeeding her youngest child, she expects a similar timeline.
“A single test wouldn’t have told me that story,” she said. “Testing regularly did.”
